Sailing Oceans Blue
by Hylla
Summary: An unexpected situation sends Ichigo and the Shinigami on a cruise with the Arrancars and other past opponents. As they set sail on a replica of the Titanic, chaos ensues with each group barely getting along. Will the partying, drama, and romance end up conquering all or is there something more sinister at work...
1. Prologue

**Summary:** Sometime after the Fullbring Arc, an unexpected situation forces the Head Captain to send Ichigo and the Shinigami on a cruise with the Arrancars and other past opponents. As they set sail on an huge replica of the Titanic, chaos ensues with each group barely getting along. Will the partying, drama, and romance end up conquering them all or is there something more sinister at work?

**All Standard Disclaimers Apply:** I'll post this once so read carefully - I do not own Bleach or anything related to it. Also, this fic was originally based off of Ultimate-drax's "Cruise Along" with permission...

**A/N: **Enjoy!

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"_**Science does not know its debt to imagination." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson**_

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**Prologue**

The atmosphere in the 12th Division was calm. The silence filled only by the hum of computers and a recurring bleep. Contrary to popular belief, one did not always hear screams and shrieks in the Division although the occasional cry of agony was not uncommon. Besides working under the infamous Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the job of an officer in the 12th Division was actually quite mundane.

Akon spoke from experience.

After more than a century in Shinigami Research and Development Institute, the third seat had come to realize that excitement only arose when something was unusual or wrong.

Things had been quiet since the whole Fullbring fiasco.

_A little too quiet._

Akon felt a headache coming on. Warily, he eyed the empty white mug sitting on the corner of his desk. The remains of his coffee from a few hours ago were still sitting at the bottom, having long since gone cold.

_I need more coffee_. _Hot coffee._

He hated working the night shift. It was currently one in the morning and he was tired as hell and bored out of his wits. If something didn't happen soon, he'd start to question his sanity.

Tapping his fingers on his desk, he tried to ignore the stabs of pain assaulting the back of his mind, but couldn't. It was growing, wrapping around to come full circle to the front of his head. _Need...__more...__coffee...__dammit!_ Admitting defeat, he motioned his assistant over. Just as he was about to send Rin to fetch him another cup, the alarm sounded.

Change was immediate.

Chairs screeched, keyboards clicked, and electricity filled the air - it was like all life had returned to the room.

Akon straightened up.

"Hiyosu. What seems to be the matter?"

"It appears as though we have an intruder."

"Oh." _It's just an intruder._ "I wonder what poor fool it is this time. The Captain doesn't take lightly to trespassers."

He certainly did not. The last foolish person to annoy Mayuri Kurotsuchi had landed an immediate job…_as a test subject._

But hey, a little excitement is always better than none at all. Akon was never one to complain. The last time he managed to find fault and actually complain about something was when—

Hiyosu's gasp brought him back to the present.

"Uhh, Akon. You should come check this out."

The trace of fear in his voice immediately alerted Akon. The third seat quickly strode over to the lower officer.

"What is it? Where is the intruder now?"

With panic interlacing his words, Hiyosu started. "He's _there_. The intruder is _there _in the—"

Akon's eyes widened.

"...Sector of Mysteries..."

* * *

_The Sector of Mysteries..._

The very mention of it sent shivers crawling down Akon's spine. Few knew of its existence and even fewer dared mention it.

Captain Kurotsuchi had ordered him and an elite group of researchers to build it secretly some time after Aizen's betrayal. The Captain had been in one of his moods and was muttering something about "Stupid Urahara with his damned Hōgyoku" and "I'm the only genius here."

When Akon asked the Captain what purpose it would serve, the Captain simply said that, "The Sector of Mysteries will be a section of the 12th Division where I shall carry out confidential research. Using various data and samples that I have collected, many of which are from Hueco Mundo, I shall be researching various mysteries of the world such as time, love, thought, death and so on. I find them quite fascinating."

Akon had known that the true purpose was merely to show up Kisuke Urahara and conduct his most horrific researches in secret. One had to be _really _careful of what you said around Captain Kurotsuchi and so he never brought it up again...

"Hiyosu, can you pull up the security footage?"

Typing ensued. "_Whaat!_ Why aren't any of the cameras working?"

Akon massaged his temples for a totally different reason. "Probably a glitch. Rin."

The young boy quickly swallowed the sweet he was eating. "Ahhh, yes Akon-sama?"

"See if you and Hiyosu can find a way to fix the system."

"What will you be doing sir?"

"I will stop the intruder myself."

* * *

Akon left the room left the room quickly and proceeded to take a multitude of turns in the maze-like hallways of the 12th Division.

Since he had begun working in the 12th Division, he had seen _and_ done many horrific things. He was not an easy man to scare so why was he feeling so unsettled at the thought of going down into the Sector of Mysteries?

His heart beating fast in his chest, Akon stopped before a nondescript, plain wall.

The secret entrance to the Sector of Mysteries.

One would never expect the gateway to the most dangerous department in the all the 12th Division to be behind such an ordinary looking wall. There was a reason the best hiding place was known to be out in the open...No one would suspect something as ordinary as a wall to be a secret doorway.

Lieutenant Kusajishi of the 11th Division had taken quite a fancy to this particular type of hidden door. Rumor has it that she ordered them to be built all over the Kuchiki Manor along with many tunnels. Needless to say, Captain Kuchiki didn't like them since he could never seem to find them and seal them off.

Akon placed his palm against the wall and it swung inwards revealing the dim interior of an elevator.

He stepped inside and the doors closed leaving him in complete darkness. He hated the dark. The elevator automatically began descending and he could feel the air getting heavier with each passing second. He was entering the very depths of the 12th Division.

After a considerable amount of time, a cool female voice informed him that he had reached his destination. The doors opened with a woosh.

Bracing himself, Akon stepped out.

_I've arrived at the Sector of Mysteries._

The huge, but narrow room he found himself in was completely dark except for the few twinkling lights embedded into the ceiling. Glancing up, he could see that the high, cavernous ceiling was meant to resemble the night sky. If he wasn't so creeped out, he may have found it to be beautiful.

There was a slight chill in the air and the silence was only broken by his nervous breathing. Feeling like a trespasser in a forbidden place, he hesitantly made his way forward.

With every step he took, the pressure seemed to increase.

He couldn't hear a single alarm, but warning bells were going off in the back of his mind. _Something is off..._By now he should have encountered some sort of obstacle or identity checker. Security was normally _really _tight in the 12th Division, especially down here.

It was strange, not in a good way of course...Swallowing nervously, he slowly continued placing one foot in front of the other and moving forward.

He safely walked over to the other end of the room until two, jet black doors were menacingly looming over him. This was it. No going back now.

Gently, he placed his right palm on the doors and they swung inwards with a loud screech.

He gasped.

A bright light hit his eyes and then everything went black.

* * *

**A/N:** Who can guess where the Sector of Mysteries is from? Thanks for taking the time to try this fic. I'd love to know what you think of it. It is a bit confusing now, but this is only just the prologue...

Hugs,  
Hylla


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Rated T from here on out since some people should really learn to mind their language... ^.^

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_**"The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams." ~ Oprah Winfrey**_

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**Chapter 1**

Ichigo Kurosaki scowled irritably at the giant cruise ship before him. Somehow, he always managed to get himself caught up in the strangest of situations. This time, he was stuck going on a month long cruise..._with his worst enemies_.

It didn't help that the ship was an exact replica of the Titanic, built by Kisuke Urahara himself and the Twelfth Division working together. Somehow, this whole mess was related to Ichigo's _mission_. How exactly, he had no idea.

As he tilted his head to the side in annoyance, Ichigo felt something jump onto his shoulder.

"Ack, Yoruichi! What the hell?!"

"Oh, please! Lighten up Ichigo." The cat woman had a wide smirk on her feline face. "A three weeks vacation across the high seas on a luxury cruiser and it's completely free. You have been ordered to go, but still how can you complain?"

"We're going to be spending this so called _vacation_ with our _enemies_."

To make a point, the young Substitute Shinigami pointed towards Ulquiorra Schiffer who was making his way to the crowd of passengers waiting to board the luxury cruise liner. "That guy, was dead. He tried to kill me and then turned to _dust_. And now he's back all of a sudden and Gramps, strangely enough, wants me to party with him?!"

Popping up from behind, Rangiku grinned. "Look at the bright side Ichigo. You'll be stuck on a ship with beautiful, carefree women who'll be wearing next to nothing for three whole weeks."

"W-Why would I ever care about that!" The blush on the young Substitute Soul Reaper's cheeks spoke otherwise.

Turning to look at him, Orihime blinked. "Kurosaki-kun, are you feeling okay?" The concerned look on the young beauty's face turned to shock as a pale fist promptly hit him in the side.

Ichigo groaned and fell to the floor, his hands holding his aching sides while Rukia smirked. "Don't worry Orihime, he'll be alright now."

* * *

Rukia looked away from the orangette and scanned the docks they'd been waiting in for over an hour. It was a lovely area, with a quaint little cafe and various souvenir shops lining up the sidewalk as crowds encircled the few giant cruisers that were peacefully floating in the huge surrounding ocean. The deep blue waters of the ocean glimmered like millions of bright jewels in the warm and clear day.

Lifting a hand up to see clearly through all the sun, Rukia spotted a tall figure approaching. The figure grew larger and larger until it finally became Renji sauntering over, his red hair oddly unnoticeable for once in the multitude of bright colors in the crowd.

"Oye! Rukia! They're finally letting us board." Squinting at Ichigo's hunched up form, Renji frowned. "What the hell is he doing on the floor anyway?"

"Ichigo didn't seem too happy about going, so I decided to knock some sense into him."

Renji smirked. "Hah! You're such a wuss Ichigo! A mere girl punches you and you couldn't take it like a man."

There was a flash of white and Rukia smiled sweetly as Renji crumpled to the floor.

Wiping the dust off his face, Ichigo stood up. "Now what was all that about Renji? I thought you said you could man up and take a punch from a 'mere girl'."

Rukia looked on as Renji, standing once again, turned to face Ichigo. "Last I checked _Strawberry_, you were the one lying on the floor. You're just so whiny and you always—"

"Now now boys," scolded Rangiku as she stepped between the two. "We're here to relax and have fun. Not to mention the fact that you two should especially get along since you're rooming together."

Orihime nodded. "Rangiku-san is right you two. Anyways, didn't you just say something about them letting us board, Abarai-kun?"

Scowling, Renji backed away from Ichigo. "Yeah...They just opened the ramp and everyone's rushing to board the _Tittyanic_."

"For your information Renji," Ichigo shouldered in, "Its the Titanic. Not..._uh..._what you just said."

"Yeah yeah. It's not my fault the World of Living has such strange names."

Rukia cleared her throat. "Shouldn't we get going now. If we waste any more time, we'll end up being the last ones on board. Let's all go to our cabins and unpack since the luggage has probably been taken to our rooms. Then if any of you want to, we can go have a look around. I know that I do."

"Aye aye captain! Let's go exploring" exclaimed Orihime, her hand raised in a mocked salute.

Sighing inwardly, Ichigo shrugged. "I guess the midget's right. Why don't we all meet up at the pool in twenty minutes?"

Everyone nodded.

The group set out towards the Titanic, one of the shortest members dragging a body with orange hair behind her.

* * *

Ichigo grimaced as he stepped out of the elevator and rubbed his head. He'd just barely managed to shake off Renji who had been following him around like a lost puppy asking annoying questions about _every single thing_ they had walked by.

This trip was really starting to be a bother and they hadn't even set out yet...Renji's incessant questions and annoying chatter could probably excused this one time. This was his first time on a ship and he had to have been really excited.

The cruise ship had seemed pretty cool so far. From the outside, it had been absolutely _huge _and it's likeness to the Titanic was indeed remarkable. Looking around the lavishly decorated hallway he was currently in, Ichigo could see that it was even grander on the inside.

The walls were a pleasant beige decorated with intricate patterns and the lush carpet, a deep royal blue. The gold chandeliers were tasteful, but the bright lightning hurt his head and he had to squint to see through his already blurred vision.

Back at the docks, Rukia had brutally knocked him out simply because he had insinuated that she was _short. _Talk about being insecure….At this rate if she kept hitting him, he'd end up with a killer migraine for the rest of the trip.

His Hollow was usually the one behind his earth-shattering headaches, but Ichigo hadn't sensed him in a while. Even Tensa was absent. It was so..._strange_.

Shrugging off the unpleasant feeling, Ichigo stopped in front his cabin. The number 156 was plastered across the door in gold lettering. Taking out a key card from his pocket, Ichigo swiped it through the scanner and opened the now unlocked door.

Ichigo stepped through and gasped in pain as he felt something jab him in the side and found himself stuck in the doorway. He was sandwiched between the door and some jackass who tried to enter the room at the same time as him. Renji couldn't possibly have caught up to him so quickly, right?

Angrily, Ichigo turned to face the newcomer and found it to be, "Grimmjow?!"

The blue haired Arrancar turned to face his mortal enemy and snarled. "What the fuck are you doing here? This is _my_ cabin."

Checking his ticket, Ichigo frowned. "Cabin 156 on deck C?" Grimmjow nodded. "No! Absolutely not. There is no way you and I can be sharing rooms. I refuse go on this trip with _you_ out of all the Espada as my roommate."

The Sexta Espada spread his lips in a feral grin revealing two rows of sharp teeth. "I know that. That's exactly why you'll be sleeping out in the hallway while I get the cabin."

"Forget it Grimmjow! I'm not dealing with this sort of crap. You sleep in the hallway." Struggling to get loose, Ichigo finally entered the room.

In a split second, Grimmjow tackled him and the two started fighting. Ichigo felt Grimmjow punch him on his already bruised side and in retaliation, he hit the Sexta Espada's nose. Blood spurted out. This was gonna be one hell of a vacation.

* * *

Rangiku Matsumoto turned the corner and smiled. "So Hinamori, where's your cabin?"

"Well let's see," Momo held up her ticket. "I guess I have cabin B-66."

Pouting, Rangiku turned to face her friend. "Aww, my room is B-36. I really wanted to bunk with you."

Momo smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about it, Rangiku-san. We'll still see each other around and we're even on the same deck. Anyways, I'm sure you'll get along well with your roommates."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Pointing at a fancy sign which stated that rooms 50 and up were to their left, Rangiku sighed. "This is where we split. Now come along, Shūhei. I need to get to my cabin and unpack before sunset so I can get started on my tan."

She motioned for Hisagi, who was carrying a mountain of luggage on his back. "I'm...coming...Rangiku-san." Struggling to keep up with the Lieutenant of the 10th Division, Hisagi panted as he adjusted the weight on his back and followed.

When she reached her room, she happily unlocked the door and entered her cabin. Rangiku Matsumoto thought she was going to like the people she was sharing her cabin with. She was wrong.

"Hiya roomies! The name is—" Seeing the group in front of her, she stopped in midsentence. It felt as though someone had just spit her in the face.

Staring back at her in shock were three female Arrancar - a large breasted brunette with wavy long hair, a slender one who had three pink dots below her right eye, and finally a black haired tomboy with oddly enough, two different colored eyes.

Apacci took in Rangiku's curvy form in the doorway and scowled. "No. Fucking. Way."

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you to everyone who read and supported this story. I promise the prologue is connected to the plot, though you won't be finding out who the intruder was for quite some time. The idea for the Sector of Mysteries is derived from the Department of Mysteries in Harry Potter C:

So, what did you think of the first chapter? I'll be starting out the voting for the pairings in the next chapter. Any ideas how I should go about that? Also, should I use Japanese honorifics like "Taicho" instead of "Captain"? Any other tips, suggestions, and comments would be greatly appreciated ^.^

See y'all next time!  
Hylla


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Remember me?

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_**"One does not discover new oceans without losing sight of the shore**__**." ~ **__**André Gide**_

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**Chapter 2**

Renji walked through the lavish hallway taking in everything around him with curious, yet quick eyes. He was on his way to his room and so far the ship looked amazing!

Everything from the gold handrails to the spiraling staircases reeked of money. It didn't take him one of Captain Kuchiki's art lessons to know that the paintings hanging on the walls were priceless. He could have sworn he even recognized a few from Ichigo's textbooks...

There was so much to take in but too little time.

Not only did he have to hurry and meet up with the others at the pool, he also had to find a way to calm the growing hunger in his stomach and be quick about it. Damn his fast metabolism. Rukia would be pissed if he was late. The Kuchiki discipline was rubbing off on her...

Wondering why short chicks were always so demanding, he continued on his quest to find his room.

According to the ticket, Renji was set to be in the same room as Ichigo, but had been rudely abandoned on boarding and gotten lost. He remembered wandering around aimlessly until an attendant came up and offered to help if he collected one of his overweight bags. Renji's bag had apparently been so heavy, it exceeded the luggage limit by a whole 300 kilograms and the luggage handlers had absolutely refused to take it to his room. Though that was probably because the simply couldn't lift it up, let alone carry it all the way to his cabin.

With a heavy heart and a curse against weak bellboys, he'd been directed in the right direction after parting with most of his newly acquired merchandise. The remains of what all he'd been able to salvage were stuffed into a smaller duffle bag that way still heavy, but manageable.

Arms and legs aching, Renji turned right at the top of the final stairwell on his long journey to his room, and sighed happily before his satisfaction quickly vanished. There was a freaking elevator at the end of the hallway. It seemed as though he had climbed all those flights of stairs for nothing.

At least it was a good workout for his muscles. After all, the heavy duffle bag he was currently toting around was a lot like training weights, right? Smugly, he knew the ladies would be all over him and his glorious six-pack.

Looking good was hard work.

The strenuous walk sure paid off in the long run, but now it only served to make him hungrier. Clutching his hands to his stomach, Renji nervously looked around to see if anyone else could hear the loud rumbling from his hungry belly. Thankfully, the halls were empty. He spotted a sign indicating that his destination was near and made his way towards the room.

Raising a tattooed eyebrow as he noticed the partially open door, Renji pocketed the electronic key card he'd been looking forward to trying out.

Why was the door open?

Hesitantly, he peeked through the doorway and let out a startled gasp on seeing Ichigo lying on the floor, limbs askew. Two hands were wrapped around the teen's neck, frozen in the process of choking him. Based on the mission briefing a few weeks back, he assumed the blue haired Arrancar to whom those hands belonged was Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, the Sixth Espada.

Both were unconscious. Grimmjow was even bleeding. Well then. At least this was the right room and neither of them was dead..._yet_.

As he entered carefully and looked around, Renji's eyes widened. The two were covered in bruises, the floor around them littered with a clutter of furniture and various decorative objects.

Shattered glass sparkled, torn bedsheets lay in scraps, pillow feathers were everywhere, a broken table lay on its side, the missing leg clutched tightly in one of Ichigo's hands, and a few specks of blood were even scattered on the luscious carpet here and there.

Basically, the room was a huge mess. But how could it have happened?

Knowing Ichigo, the two had probably started fighting when one of them tripped as signaled by the overturned table, knocking both out. Honestly, that boy brought trouble everywhere he went.

The least Renji could do was take advantage of it. Looking at their collapsed bodies, he thought for a moment and grinned as a stellar idea struck him.

Renji lay down his heavy bag to dig out the camera he had bought a while ago from Karakura Mall. Good thing it hadn't been tossed out. Peering at it curiously, he began fiddling with the buttons till it switched on. The saleslady promised that this camera would help capture each memory forever (_in HD_).

Now Ichigo would never forget that he once lost to an Arrancar. No one could be invincible.

Smiling deviously, the tattooed lieutenant stood up and began taking photos of the crime scene until another fiendish thought hit him. He was on a roll today. He could rearrange them into some silly pose and then take a picture.

Now that was a funny idea.

Setting the scene like a pro, Renji walked about clearing the worst of the fight around the unconscious two.

With a vicious grin on his face, he bent down and moved Ichigo's face closer to Grimmjow's. Ichigo's makeshift club was set aside and Grimmjow's chokehold loosened. Renji scattered a few stray flower petals around them and maneuvered their arms around each other. Too bad he couldn't do anything about the blood without risking their awakening.

It kinda killed the mood.

The duo looked quite battered up but the hilarious implication of the pose struck him and he ended up biting his lips to keep from exploding with laughter. The scene looked like something straight out of a romance film. _A gay romance film._ As a snort escaped him, Renji clutched his hands to his mouth.

Grimmjow twitched but thankfully his eyes remained closed.

Holding up his camera, Renji quickly snapped a few juicy pictures of the two embracing before giving his handy dandy camera a light kiss and putting it away. You never know when you might need a little blackmail material...Rangiku had taught him that much.

Looking around for any other opportunities to cause mischief, he realized there was nothing left to do but revive them.

Spotting a floral vase that had managed to stay upright, Renji retrieved it and put the fresh flowers onto a nearby side table. He had to remember to put them in a glass of water later. Speaking of water, there was quite a bit in the vase and so he flipped it over Ichigo and Grimmjow's faces.

They literally woke up to a _'splash'_. Renji laughed, mentally of course.

Coughing out a mouthful of water to the side, Ichigo came to as Grimmjow stirred. Opening his eyes, the teen let out a surprised yelp at the close proximity of his enemy and the two simultaneously sprang apart, standing as far from each other as possible.

Renji raised an eyebrow. Looks like they didn't like waking up in each other's arms. Maybe he should have rearranged their poses back to avoid suspicion...or then again maybe not. There was nothing wrong with taking a funny picture or two, right?

"Good, you're both awake now," he commented as peered at them from the corner of his eyes.

Noticing their discomfort, Renji smiled to himself in amusement. Neither of the two seemed comfortable with being so rudely awakened.

Grimmjow looked especially outraged.

Shaking his wet blue hair out of his eyes, the Espada angrily turned to Renji and snarled at him. Yes, he snarled. "What the fuck are you doing you shit-haired bastard?"

Renji's eyes narrowed.

Waking up to a face full of water wasn't his idea of a good day either but this was just taking it too far. His hair and eyebrows were untouchable. Nobody (_except_ Rukia) insulted them and got away unscathed.

"Mind your language you filthy Arrancar," he retaliated as he stepped over the broken glass to face the angry Espada. "I am Renji Abarai, Lieutenant of the Sixth Division."

"Well I'm Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and I don't give a shit! What the heck were you doing, prancing around and throwing water in my face?"

The whiny tone in the Espada's voice became more pronounced as he lifted a blood-specked hand to his soaked head. "My hair is a shitty mess now. How can I be King with it all wet and sopping like this? Not to mention I fucking _HATE_ water!"

That fool wanted to be King? Renji grinned. "Hah! No one would ever follow a dumb prisoner like you!"

"Why don't you try taking a look in the mirror before I throw you overboard!"

"Says the person wearing _guyliner_..." observed Renji.

"Eyebrow freak!"

"Don't you dare insult my tattoos!" he defended.

"Yeah, or what? You think you can take me?" countered Grimmjow, his bloody fist raised as if daring him to agree.

"Oh, is that a challenge?!"

Stepping towards the quarreling duo, Ichigo frowned.

"Come on you two! Just shut the hell up!"

Two pairs of eyes turned to glare at him. Not breaking eye contact, he met their glares head on. Slowly, Renji, who had grabbed Grimmjow's collar, let go and the Espada in turn retracted his fist.

"I know none of us likes this rooming arrangement or the whole mission for the matter, but there's absolutely nothing we can do except deal with it. Besides, Gramps explicitly stated that there's meant to be no fighting."

Renji let out a snort at Ichigo's hypocritical words. "Says the guy who picked a fight the second he entered his room..."

Ignoring him, Ichigo turned to look down at a blue band which was around Grimmjow's right ankle and continued.

"Hmmm, I wonder how you were able to fight me while wearing that...Maybe one of us could go see the Captains and tell them that your anklet thing didn't work," he decided, furrowing his eyebrows as he thought of what could have caused the device to malfunction.

The blue band around Grimmjow's ankle was a special restraint device often used in the Soul Society to keep prisoners in check. First developed by Kisuke Urahara over a century ago, the device functioned by using a special type of Kido to monitor the nervous system for commands from the brain to attack. On detecting signals of aggression, it knocked a person out by releasing a small electrical shock into the body.

On top of preventing the captured party, the Arrancars in this case, from fighting, the waterproof restraints also sealed spiritual energy. An added bonus was that they came in seven different colors!

Looking at Grimmjow's, Renji realized that the small, yet powerful band reminded him of something. "You know, those shocking anklets look a lot like the collar Rukia wore around her neck at her execution."

"She had a red one," agreed Ichigo, nodding subtlety.

Grimmjow let out a disdainful sigh. "Hmph! Who cares about that damn bracelet or some stupid Shinigami! Though I have to admit, this does match my hair quite well..."

"You mean it looks just as ridiculous?" taunted Renji.

"I ain't got time for this sorta shit," muttered Grimmjow.

Renji smirked. "Seems as though you've run out of comebacks, huh?"

Mumbling something about finding a better place to take a nap, the blue-haired Arrancar turned to leave and scowled as he almost tripped over Renji's heavy bag on the way to the door.

"Oh! By the way Jaeger_crack_," Renji called, "Your nose is still bleeding. You'd better clean up before you get locked up for fighting."

"Fuck you! Its _Jaegerjaquez_!" Grimmjow sneered.

In an attempt to regain his honor, he dusted off his clothes and turned back around only to notice something which made him smirk.

"If any of you bastards decide to take my bed...I'll fucking kill ya all. The one to the left is off limits. Feel free to kill yourself fighting over the other."

Seeing that his dark words had the intended effect, Grimmjow chuckled and flashed them both an evil grin before making a dramatic exit.

As the door shut with a loud thud in his wake, a decorative painting fell to the ground, its glass shattering on impact. Ichigo and Renji turned and stared at each other in shock.

"_Wow_..." muttered Renji.

Things had gotten ugly, fast.

Working out a kink in his neck, Ichigo turned his head till he heard a satisfying 'crack'. "Ugh, if this is what the rest of the trip is gonna be like, I'd rather be back at home even if I had to put up with the old man's antics. Why'd I get forced onto this mission anyway? I'm just a Substitute Shinigami..."

Renji sighed. "Who knows why the Head Captain does anything?"

"Yeah," agreed Ichigo. "You gotta be pretty screwed in the head to send Shinigami on a cruise under the guise of watching over their enemies. Must be cause he's so old..."

"I wouldn't go around badmouthing him if I were you, Ichigo," reprimanded Renji.

"Hmm..."

"I'm serious, " said Renji as he warily eyed the teen. "Some Shinigami would kill you for disrespecting the Head Captain!"

"Give it up already," Ichigo replied and rolled his eyes. He then noticed a strange smirk on Renji's face. "Whatcha ya smiling about?"

"Oh, it's nothing you should worry about just yet," the crimson-haired lieutenant said behind a small chuckle, thinking about the pictures he took. "Just thought of something funny," he added.

Shrugging, Ichigo looked around the cabin. Wreckage from Grimmjow and his fight was evident everywhere. They'd only been at it a few minutes and the room was totally trashed.

Thankfully, he came out of the fight none to worse for the wear. A few bruises in return for bashing the bastard Arrancar was definitely worth it. _I've gotten much stronger._ They were more than evenly matched now. It certainly helped that Grimmjow couldn't fire any Cero...

"Oye Ichigo! Ya feeling okay?" questioned Renji. "I just asked you what the Espada said before he left."

"I'm fine," said Ichigo as he resumed his survey of the room. "Grimmjow said something about not taking his bed, but why would he when we each have our own..." he wondered before his eyes fell on something which caused him to stop short.

Renji followed his line of sight to see two big, fluffy beds to one side of the room. Both were piled high with pillows and soft looking blankets. Sitting between the two with its stuffing falling out was a single, dingy mattress on a rickety iron frame.

Wheels began turning in Renji's head.

There were three beds, two comfortable and the other not so much. Grimmjow had already claimed one of the larger ones, leaving the other two for to him and Ichigo to choose between.

They both realized it at the same time.

There was one good bed. There were two of them.

It was on.

Ichigo let out a battle cry as they simultaneously shoved forward to try to reach it first.

Renji elbowed Ichigo in the stomach. Gasping, the teen stuck his leg out causing Renji to trip. Not about to be outdone, Renji grabbed Ichigo's leg and yanked hard, making him fall flat on his face. _Ouch_. Rushing up, Renji made a wild leap for the big bed and grinned when his hand touched it a split second before Ichigo's.

"_Mine_!" he exclaimed happily.

"Nuh uh. I entered the room before you and therefore get the first pick," said Ichigo. "That bed belongs to me so move over!"

"What? No way! I took it first so you'd better take the other one," informed Renji.

"Ugh, I'm definitely not going to be stuck on a dingy little bed that's next to Grimmjow's for a whole month and besides, all my luggage appears to have been delivered next to it, clearly marking that bed as mine," defended Ichigo as he gestured towards his simple suitcase which lay at the foot of the fancy bed.

Renji looked at him incredulously. The was no way in hell he'd fall for such lame reasoning. Ichigo would just have to move his stuff. Too bad he didn't look like he was ready to admit defeat just yet.

"If you don't give me that bed, I'll be having a talk with Captain Unohana about how you weren't cooperating with me. She likes me a lot more than you."

Renji's eyes were wide in horror as he shuddered and thought of the gentle Captain's menacing smile. "Ichigo, you wouldn't dare...?"

"Oh really?" questioned Ichigo, his grin wide. He'd never actually willingly go to her, but Renji didn't have to know that.

Letting out a defeated sigh, Renji glowered at the orange-haired teen as he backed away from the bed and put his bulging bag down onto the tiny, old bed. Its springs creaked in protest. The interior designer was one sadistic bastard...Angrily yanking at the zip, Renji opened the bag and rapidly searched through, removing his camera quickly in a rush to leave.

Ichigo who'd been watching him glanced down at his wristwatch and panicked. "Oh shit! Rukia's gonna kill us," he yelped before running off to go wash up.

Muttering, Renji left the room with the incriminating camera in hand and fiendish intentions in mind. Ichigo could start worrying now.

Revenge was in order.

He'd make him pay for threatening him and stealing the comfy bed he wanted. The pictures Renji took would make perfect blackmail material. He knew exactly who he was going to give them to.

When he found her, Rangiku was going to be ecstatic.

* * *

Speaking of her, Rangiku wasn't in the best of moods.

Being greeted by a fellow roommate with the unceremonious words "No fucking way" could really ruin a girl's day.

She'd been looking forward to such a fun mission on a cruise liner, but if it would be spent dealing with Hallibel's three annoying Fraccion, she'd rather be back at the Squad Ten barracks being told off by her Captain for drinking too much sake.

Shuddering at the prospect of paperwork she would have to do if she was still in the Seireitei, Rangiku staggered back a few steps only to bump into Shūhei who promptly dropped the huge pile of her bags he was carrying. Mumbling a quick apology, the raven haired lieutenant backed away and ran off, leaving her to fend for herself.

_Great. Just great._

Hisagi was in for a world of pain. "When I get my hands on him..." she muttered darkly.

Sung-Sun cleared her throat.

The strawberry-blonde remembered she had an audience. Noticing the three Arrancar gaping at her, she pouted in disbelief, unwilling to accept the fact that she was actually stuck rooming with them.

"I can't believe I'm sharing a cabin with you guys?" she whined.

Mila-Rose let out a huff of annoyance as she threw her wavy brown hair over her shoulder. "Hmph! Try to close your mouth at least and come in. You look like a dying fish standing out in the hallway."

Deciding to follow her new roommate's advice, Rangiku moved to enter the room and frowned when she remembered the fallen bags littered on the floor behind her.

_Well damn_.

It seemed as though all that last-minute shopping hadn't been such a great idea after all. Without Shūhei, she'd have to move all the bags inside like some common servant. What a depressing start to this weird vacation or mission or whatever it was supposed to be...

Taking a deep breath, she began preparing to gather the various bags to take them into her cabin and paused slightly as a white boot gently nudged the suitcase she was about to pick up.

"Need a hand?" asked Sung-Sun, pointedly ignoring the look of disbelief Apacci sent her way, her expression hidden by the large sleeve of her flowing white robes.

Rangiku graciously accepted the slender Arrancar's offer to help move the luggage as a token of friendship and the two were soon joined by Mila-Rose, although she did so a bit reluctantly.

Shocked, Apacci stared, unwilling to believe the sight before her eyes.

Had hell frozen over? Mila Rose _never_ helped others unless Lady Hallibel ordered it.

But here she was, kicking a heavy, pink suitcase into the room...

When all of Rangiku's bags had been taken inside, the tired three collapsed on their individual beds, exhausted from carrying so much luggage. Needless to say, Apacci had not helped. She just stood where she was, following Rangiku's movements with a disdainful look in her icy blue and amber eyes.

Mila-Rose let out a sigh and turned to Rangiku. "Too bad your little slave boy ran away before bringing all the stuff inside. Then we wouldn't have had to get sweaty like this," she realized as she wrinkled her nose in disgust. There was not a drop of sweat on her body.

"Poor Shuhei will do just about anything for me," revealed Rangiku, her features spreading into a grin as she let out a little laugh and curled an arm around her generous chest. "It's amazing what some guys will do for you thanks to these beautiful ladies."

"Yes, it's like complete hypnosis," agreed Mila-Rose as she squeezed her own breasts together.

Appaci had been silently studying them for the past few minutes. "You two are gonna get along just fine," said noted, her voice laced with disgust. "You're both sluts who like talking about the size of your boobs."

Mila-Rose smirked. "What's the matter Apacci?"

"Yeah, is it just me or do you sound jealous," mocked Rangiku.

"She kind of does," noted Sung-Sun. "How petty..."

Apacci snarled. "If you don't wanna fight, you had better shut up before I kick your asses!"

"Now she's jealous of our asses," said Mila-Rose, her words directed towards Rangiku.

"It's not easy being beautiful," replied the strawberry-blonde, shaking her head and jiggling her chest which resulted in aggravating Apacci even more. "All the boys follow you around and all the ugly chicks hate you."

"Do you want a piece of me or are you giving up already?" Apacci seethed, her eyes narrowing even further at being called _ugly_. "When we last meet, you were all in on fighting."

"That was when I had to fight you," Rangiku replied. "I'm here on an authorized break from paperwork and I don't wanna fight. I wanna sunbath every day and drink till my heart's content to wake up with a killer hangover each morning."

"I like your style," praised Mila-Rose as she got out of her bed.

Rangiku smiled. "Thanks! I've got to be getting started on my tan now so I'll be heading over to the pool," she said as she got up, grabbing a bathing suit and a pair of sunglasses from one of her bags. She waved to them as she left. Maybe her roommates weren't so bad after all.

"Looks like this is gonna be fun!"

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**A/N: **VOTING BEGINS!

Just list your pairing choices in your review. It'll go on for a bit. Any additional comments are much appreciated :)


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Sorry, no Valentine's special here **:/**

* * *

_**"Being late always has repercussions..." ~ **_**_Anonymous_**

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** Chapter** **3**

"Ugh, this so _not_ gonna be fun..." mumbled Rukia.

The young Kuchiki impatiently tapped her foot on the ground and turned to look at the huge clock next to the lifeguard's chair.

The boys were late. Really late.

Her violet eyes swept over the area by the pool deck for the umpteenth time in the last thirty minutes and she wasn't the least bit surprised when she saw no sign of ridiculously orange or crimson hair.

The ship had departed a while ago after a greeting from the ship's captain whose voice seemed vaguely familiar and now she was really eager to have a look around.

But until Renji and Ichigo arrived, she was stuck waiting by the side railings with the others. When they did come, she was going to give them a piece of her mind for making everyone wait so long...

Why couldn't they just be on time? Orihime and Ishida seemed to have no problem with being punctual.

She glanced at the said two from the corner of her eye and noticed that they had momentarily stopped playing a strange human game known as _I Spy_ and were currently looking at the vast blue ocean surrounding the cruiser on all sides, their hands held up to shield their eyes from the bright sun.

It was late afternoon and the sun showed no sign of setting yet by defiantly glinting off the ocean and staring them in the face. Rukia blinked as the glare momentarily blinded her.

Too bad Sado hadn't been invited to the mission via cruise invitation. Had he been here, his tall shadow would have helped provide some shade and she'd have been able to see clearly.

People were still a bit wary when the topic of Fullbringers came up...

Raising a hand to point back at the Japanese mainland which was no more than a receding speck on the horizon, Orihime turned to her and smiled. "Kuchiki-san, come enjoy the view with us. The land is really far away now and there's nothing but the ocean around us...It's so beautiful!"

Rukia had to grin.

The girl was always so cheerful and her excitement was contagious. "Of course Orihime. But as soon as Ichigo and Renji arrive, we'll go exploring like we planned."

Preparing to speak, Uryū cleared his throat. "We should probably be setting off if they don't arrive soon. This ship may look like a jumbo version of the legendary Titanic from the outside, but it's interior couldn't be any more different. There's so much to see and we just can't afford to waste any time waiting around like this."

He noticed Rukia and Orihime peering at him curiously and decided to elaborate, delicately pushing his glasses onto the bridge of his nose as he began to speak.

"Both of you already know that this magnificent cruise liner was built by a partnership between the Urahara Shop and the 12th Division. As a result, it is thoroughly fitted with the latest designs and technologies from both worlds, but still manages to hold on to the romantic charm retained by the original Titanic," he quoted.

Orihime's eyes took on a wistful look and Rukia nodded.

"Most of the staff are unseated members of the Gotei 13 and they offer the finest services to everyone onboard this floating paradise. Some of this ship's many attractions include a water park, golf course, luxury spas, multiple pools, a fitness center, cinemas, a miniature zoo and amusement park, various plazas and shopping centers, a library which I fully intend to visit, nightclubs, a grand ballroom, casinos, an Olympic-sized ice skating rink—"

He broke off as Rukia gasped, her violet eyes widening in amazement. "Really?" she questioned, unable to disguise the trace of awe that had crept into her voice.

Orihime let out a little giggle.

"Of course Kuchiki-san! It must be true if Ishida-kun said it, afterall I distinctly remember him reading and strangely enough, _stitching_ a book cover for the guidebook while we were waiting back at the docks. It was pink!"

"I'll have you know that sewing is a perfectly normal _and_ manly thing to do while waiting," defended Uryū, slightly insulted at his beloved habit of stitching being called _strange_.

In his opinion, sewing was a common pastime for the average seventeen year old male…

Turning back to Rukia who was gazing up at him expectantly for an answer, he sighed and nodded.

"Yes, there is indeed an ice rink here and before you interrupt me again, I'd like to inform you that there is even a small snow-park of sorts where you can go skiing and snowboarding and perform other_ snow-related_ activities."

Rukia blinked and took a few seconds to process what she had just heard. If she understood correctly, Ishida just described what would be a whole _winter wonderland_ somewhere onboard the cruise liner.

_No way…_

"Alright!" she yelled, excitedly pumping a fist in the air as Orihime and Uryū lept back in surprise. Pointedly ignoring the strange looks a group of passing Arrancars sent her way, Rukia fervently resumed her search for Ichigo and Renji and was delighted when a few minutes later, Orihime saw Ichigo coming their way.

"Kurosaki-kun, we're over here!", called the young healer, enthusiastically waving her hand over her head so he could spot them.

Stepping around a deck chair and over a wet towel someone had left behind, Ichigo made his way over to them and found himself greeted by a disgruntled yet secretly giddy Rukia.

Rukia was happy.

If Ichigo was finally here, Renji wouldn't be too far behind and as soon he arrived, they'd set out to explore everything, _especially _the snow park.

"You sure took your sweet time getting here, Ichigo. Why is that?" she asked coolly, disguising her excitement with little effort.

Ichigo scowled and raised a hand up to scratch his head in irritation. "I was unconscious for the second time today on account of one of my roommates beating me up."

"Beating you up?" questioned Uryū. "Honestly Ichigo, do you have to fight with every single person who has the bad luck to cross your path?"

Orihime nodded furiously. "Ishida-kun is right, Kurosaki-kun. It's not good for your health."

"It's not my fault my roommate is a jerk!"

Rukia who had been looking around for Renji, turned back to Ichigo in exasperation. "Just who exactly _is_ your roommate Ichigo? I thought you and Renji were in the same cabin…"

"Yeah, I am with him but our third roommate is _fucking_ Grimmjow," he replied through gritted teeth.

_"Language, Kurosaki..." _muttered Uryū.

Rukia let out a snort.

"Pssht! Be thankful that he's nothing compared to my roommates. I'm stuck with Captain Suì-Fēng, and worst of all, the third Espada, Tier Harribel." She shuddered. "Imagine how I felt with them staring, no _glaring_ at me as I walked in."

"You're right, it certainly does suck for you," he realized. The person who created the rooming assignments was one sadistic individual. "Why don't you go tell Byakuya? Your brother is some big-ass noble after all so I'm pretty sure he could pull a few strings for you and—"

Noticing her glare, he stopped before she could punch him again.

Uryū shook his head. "Wow Ichigo, you're certainly suicidal today. You should know better than going around bad mouthing nobles."

"_Whatever_," replied the Substitute Shinigami, rolling his brown eyes.

"Look! Renji's coming!" interrupted Rukia, her voice filled with glee, all thoughts of defending her brother's honor vanishing as she pointed at the red-haired figure who was coming their way.

As she began dancing in excitement like a crazed lunatic, Rukia felt Ichigo's gaze on her and turned around to look at him, her right eyebrow raised delicately as if daring him to ask what was wrong with her.

Of course, the orange-haired fool had to open his big mouth and crush her into the ground, figuratively speaking of course. "That is most definitely _not_ Renji. Ya sure you're feeling okay?"

Rubbing her eyes, she looked closely and her shoulders immediately slumped in disappointment as the redhead passed by. Unless Renji had somehow transformed into an Arrancar with _pink_ hair, Ichigo was right and he still hadn't arrived yet.

Great. And to top it all, she was now seeing things. The sun was probably getting to her…

Sighing, Rukia tiredly resumed her search for him, her eyes glancing over all the Shinigami and Arrancars who were happily relaxing and swimming nearby in the huge pool.

As she kept looking around, Ichigo joined Uryū and Orihime by the side railings and together the two males watched and laughed as Orihime began pointing out strangely shaped clouds.

"See! That one looks like a flying hippo with a unicorn on its back. And, oh! That big one there is like a huge elephant eating a taco, you know those delicious Mexican thingies that Sado-kun got us once..."

This went on for about another twenty minutes and with each passing moment, Rukia's irritation increased. How dare Renji have the audacity to say he'd come and then not show up? They'd waited for him too long and now enough was enough.

Turning back, Rukia tapped Orihime's shoulder to inform her that she'd decided that they would be leaving and frowned when Orihime's delicate brows scrunched together in concentration. "Wow Kuchiki-san, your eyesight is amazing! I can't believe you can see him coming from so far away in all this sun!" she praised as she squinted to see clearly.

Confused, Rukia spun around to see what she was talking about and spotted a figure that looked vaguely like Renji walking in their direction.

As it became clear that it was indeed Renji, she straightened up as Orihime enthusiastically began waving even though Renji had already spotted them.

_"Over here, Abarai-kun!"_

At last they could stop standing out in the dreaded sun and go exploring like they had intended to about an hour or two ago. _Renji would pay_...

Raising a hand in greeting, Renji came to a stop if from of them and noticed the four pairs of displeased eyes glaring at him. "What?" he asked, remaining completely oblivious to exactly how long he made everyone wait.

Uryū's glasses glinted. "You do realize how late you are, don't you Abarai?"

"Oh, I was just getting a snack," he defended, holding up a brown bag as an alibi. "There're so many cool restaurants here and this one cute chick was handing out samples of this strange snack. Since I was hungry, I decided to get some. They're freshly baked, really colorful, and best of all, free," he described happily.

Ichigo curiously eyed the loopy lettering covering the small bag. "What is it?" he asked.

Bringing the bag closer to his face, Renji sniffed at it and let out a sigh. "I have no idea, but whatever it is, it smells _really_ good. She said they were called cookies or something."

Rukia's eyes narrowed. "_I see how it is..._" she muttered darkly.

He froze, finally noticing her and her glare. "Uh, you okay Rukia?"

Ichigo face-palmed.

Rukia fumed. "Seriously? You left us, waiting out in the sun for a whole _damn_ hour, just so you could talk up some girl to get a snack..._How okay do you think I am?!_"

Swallowing nervously, Renji managed to look sheepish. "S-Sorry?"

The killing intent began rolling off her in waves.

Meekly, he held out the bag of cookies as an offering. Everyone watched with bated breath as Rukia eyed the bag and then glanced back at a now whimpering Renji.

There was a battle raging inside her mind. Should she accept the cookies along with Renji's apology or punch him into oblivion? Her bloodthirsty side was tempted towards the latter, but on the other hand, cookies tasted so good.

Yet Renji had made them wait. Payback. Or a bag of cookies. Pain. Or a bag of cookies. Suffering. Or a bag of cookies. Cookies. Beautiful, tasty cookies...

As the delectable smell of freshly-baked _deliciousness_ wafted towards her nose, Rukia made her decision.

She took the cookies. The others let out a relieved sigh.

"_Phew_," said Orihime, as she let out a nervous laugh. "You didn't look too happy for second there, Kuchiki-san. I was worried..."

The bag in Rukia's hands crackled as she opened it. "Don't fret about it," she reassured smiling brightly. "I'm perfectly fine!"

She held out out a rainbow chocolate-chip cookie to Orihime whose eyes sparkled as she took it.

"Thanks Kuchiki-san!"

"No worries." Taking two for herself, Rukia passed the bag along to Uryū who in turn took a cookie with a handkerchief and moved to hand the cookie bag to Ichigo. Just as Ichigo's fingers wrapped around the bag, he found it wrenched violently from his grasp.

Renji clutched the bag possessively to his chest. "_I sure as hell ain't sharing any with Ichigo!_"

"What?!" questioned Ichigo.

Rukia now happily munching on a cookie, peered at them curiously while Uryū tsked and shook his head. "Oh boy. Here they go again..."

"_I said I'm not giving you any._"

"Why the hell not? You shared with everyone else!"

"_Just because!_"

"Oh, I get it now," muttered Ichigo as he began snickering. "You're just jealous that I got the better bed while you're stuck with a piece of crap."

"_Am not!_" defended Renji.

"Are too!" he shot back. Noticing Renji grit his teeth in frustration, Ichigo took the oppurtunity to snatch back the bag of cookies and proceed to rip it open till he held up a single cookie. "There! The last one's mine now!"

"_Hey!_"

"You're behaving like a child, Abarai," remarked Uryū. "Stop this foolishness. The two of you can just split it."

"That's only because he took _my_ food!" justified Renji as he pushed Ichigo to the edge while trying to grab the small cookie.

Using one hand to keep Renji away from him, Ichigo held the cookie as far away as he could. Renji had the advantage of being taller but with Ichigo's foot in his stomach, his fingers only managed to graze the now crumbling cookie.

Frustrated, Renji made a violent tackle for the bag and smiled when he managed to grab it.

Unfortuantely for him, he hadn't thought his jump through...In a rush to seize the cookie, Renji had lept straight overboard.

"_I'm gonna die!_" he yelled as he felt himself start to fall. At the last second he felt someone grab his leg. He looked upwards at his saviour. "Ichigo!"

"What the hell did ya do that for you idiot?!" asked Ichigo in a strained voice as he held his ankle."Don't do crazy stunts for a cookie!"

"Take your own advice," Rukia added as she held Ichigo by his leg. "Don't just jump out."

Renji couldn't help but whimper in fear as the wind gently ruffled his hair. "Just pull me back up, why don't you," he called weakly.

Ishida and Orihime began helping Rukia haul the boys up, but a cry from Ichigo made them stop short.

"I'm losing my grip!"

"_No!_" yelled Renji, but it was too late. He began falling again. And this time no one was able to catch him.

As the ocean rushed to meet him, he managed to hear Rukia's screams that he couldn't swim. With a deafening noise, the waves engulfed him. As everything started going black, Renji smiled. There was still half a cookie crushed in his hands.

_Oh boy was he hungry._

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**A/N: **Voting continues...

Finish voting in the poll on my profile and don't forget to tell me what you thought of this chapter **;D**


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